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1949 The rT aveler: Two Decades: Random Notes Myron Haliburton Avery
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Recommended Citation Avery, Myron Haliburton, "The rT aveler: Two Decades: Random Notes" (1949). Books and Publications. 134. https://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/books_pubs/134
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'- RANDOM NOTES by
Myron H. Avery
Reprinted from THE LEWISTON JOURNAL MAGAZINE \ ,•--.._ , '. L~-wi~t-:>11 -Mllh'!e : '' ~ J ~ .. : ~ f ~ ,' ) , "' . ~ } .... or-"' . ~ . ;: Apf. i: 2. ~ on~ 9, , l94~ 9 -..
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... .., "'~ ~"' r ;:~ ,-·-\ ~ ~; \~~u~C:( by The Moine Appoloehion Trail Club, Inc. 1949 lhls ~~rticle appeared In h Lew!:Af ~r~l 11af:ZiQ9 in two sec- tions. U'\der the dates end ciPfions "' e noes 121~en below.
April 2. THE KATAHDINAUGUOH AND ITS REIGNING HONAROi, THE TRAVELER
'Maine is a vast State, compared to its .~w England neigh· bort~ . And, in comparison with many States of greater territory, it has long stretches a! wilderness country. Those who have been to: Katahdin want to go again. Those WhQ haven't been often express a longing to get at least a. glimpse of that section. But even most of those who havP- been t.lcar or on Katahdin know no mote about the country to its north than they could gain from their summit viewpoint. An exception is Myron H. Avery, captain, USNR, a Lubee 'fl,ative who is the State's leading authority on Katahdin and its environs and who has been a prolific writer on the subject. Herewith is the first of two arti!"les by Capt. A very which he entitles '"rhe Traveler, Two Decades-Random Notes."
April 9· MAGNIFICENT SCENERY GREETS 11 THE TRA\£LER11 REGION EXPLORER
This is the second and concluding pa:ut of an article by Myron H. Avery of Lubec, Captain, U. S. N. R., which he has titled "The Traveler-Two Decades, Random Notes." Capt. Avery has familiarized himself with the Katahdii). area. While doing this, he has done much exploring in its environs. Principally through his interest and energy, the various organizations which maintain the. 4pp,alachian Trail from Mt. Katahdin in Maine to Mt. Oglethorpe in Ge.orgia are kept on thej,r toea to handle the monumental task of tr.ail cleara:n:ce,
blazing1 signing, and lean-to repair. 'l'he Appalachian Trail Conference has an extens~ve library of slides and photographs and the accompanyii)g illustrations ai:e supplied by cOl(rt~y ;~f"~~ : ~·o.t_l~ete~ c ~'.NJ;o~i:~i?e by the Na tional Park Servic€. : · ... · • " -- · ; ' : · · ·• •... : As in the trail guide "Q~ok te~t; :C~pt i 4Y.i;ry in his numer.. ous artrcles on one section ·or · ~tn6thir ' ·of Maine, has been & stickler for detail ii'nd 'a
Copyriiht, 1949, by The Maine Appalachian Trail Club, Jnc., AuQusta, Maine. and wash ineton, o.c. THE TRAVELER
Recently there has bee!). n'l\lnifested of the nondescriptive "Traveler P.n increasfng interest in the moun Mountain". ''Guide to The ApJ?a1a. t r..i n.~ J~rth: of Katahdin. The focus chian Trail in Maine" preserves the ing of interest in the K atahdinauguoh century-old nomenclature. (th e Indian name of the mountains Except for the State Geological r:orth of Katahdin) is a very natural Survey activities, the record i>f The consequence of the diminishing in Traveler is barren until 1883. George accessibility and wildness of the H. Witherle of Castine, of unequaled Katahdin region. A focal point in thorough exploration of the Katah· this trend away from Katahdin is lin region in its primitive Wilder the area to its north, particularly The ness aspect, ascended in that (Year Traveler, with the superbly located the mountain (1) from above Grand South Branch Ponds. With the ef Falls on the Penobscot East Branch. .f',;sive reports of excursions to the This side of The Traveler has not. ~rea, it seems quite in order at this been frequented The topography to time to coordinate and set in proper the east and the fiat basin lands of t;'"!quence ,the history of The Trav the Penobscot East Branch remain an l,)'!.er. ~fhe purpose here is to record, objective for exploration. Some for the be!;e&t of t4ose who fre· future climber will no doubt rlis· (,[uent the area, · what e~ists in the cover again Witherle's Horseshoe way of literature, reports of pre Pond. Of particular interest is With• vious visits, nomenclature and items erie's description of the appearance, of particular int11rest. from The Traveler, of the' "singulat TQ . some extent this note is nec· 'Fort Mountain'- elevation." Thus essarily personal. .MY excursi,ons to Witherle anticipated the nomen• the area have been separately de· clature action which has resulted iu tailed in various items listed in th~ affixing this name. bibliography at the end of this, note; As might be anticipated, the next Familiarity with The TravelE{I! r~ written record is of a scientific visit gion, which dates back to 1921; was to The Traveler. In 1910, Dr. Cush "n incident in a series of planned man and the R~v. C. B. Ames col·, E:xcursions which, over ·a period of lected there about two 'thousand sp& three years, led to the summit of cies of plants. Theo'Tecord is regret all of the :1umetous peaks of the ably barren of the details of the ex Katahdin area, save only Center and cursiun. (2) Strickland Mountains. These peaks Thorea.u's· Tribute ~re somewhat set apart, and as to Perhaps the outstanding Ht~rary them, it was always the story of an· tribute to The. Traveler is that of other year, or perhaps the· pleasing Henry David Thoreau, whose ac;, thought of something remaining un· counts of Katahdin, of the Allagash finished-something still to be done. and of the Penobscot East Branch . From "these trips, maps of The are classics of Maine. One who has 'l'ray:e'ler region, the detailed riarra· journeyed down the Penobscot East t.\ves, :'and· data· recorde.d. 'in "Gllide Branch can appreciate that Thoreau to The Appalachian Trail -in''M~'la " would leave some record of the im are the tangible benefits p a s~ c.'Cl ' on pressiveness of these peaks, which to others with a kindred interest. loom up so vividly over the flat First Record In 1883 lands to the south. In 1837, when First, the name is "The Traveler", his canoe glided out onto the broad and not the nondescript "Traveler waters of the "Matangamooksis" or • Mountain". To early voyageurs on S econd Grand or Matagamon Lake, the Penobscot East Branch, the as it is known tod~horeau wrote mountain was -a familiar landmark. that his Indian guide, ·Joe Polis, To these voyageurs it seemed that could not be unmoved by the scene. the mountain traveled with them. As early as 1837 this impression was He said: "The very sight of the recorded by State Geologist C. T. Nerlumskeechticook or Deadwater Jackson, who spoke of it in the plu Mountains, a day'$ jQurney off -- over ral as ''The Travelers". The State Geological .Survey party of l8ill, under C. H. Hitchcock, howe'v.er, (1)-"Excurslons North ot Ka designated it iP the singular as '111l_e tahdin." "Appalachia.," vol. 3, no. 3, i>eeember, 1883, pp. 223-231, Traveler". This significant name, (2) "The Boston Society of ••The Traveler", based on historical Natura.! History Bulletin," No. r~ord. would be lost through usage 13, October, 191j). the forest, as we first saw the!n_ :a:&tahdin. Draper's Packno.rse Trail, must awaken in him pieasant mem the initial route to Pogy from Wassa ories." taquoik Stream, was supersed!\d by This term, the Deadwater Moun the tote-road trending west arid then tains, would be a pleasing noniencla• south up Trout and Hathorn Brooks. ture for this ~;roup north of Katah• This is the obscure route, today, for din. Mrs. Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, travelers bound to ·Katahdin from noted Maine authority,·has, however, the Penobscot East· Branch. indicated the error in the Indian Then in 1916 ciune the disastrous term ·of "Nerlumskeechticook," Pogy Mountain fi~. Lumber opera which Thoreau understood to mean tions were suspen'aed. For the next "The Deadwater Mountains." Thus, decade the country north of Katah.· there vanishes the only suggested din. reverfed-;to.. tb.e \Vilderness. Na· Indian term for the range. lt is in· ture struggled to undo- tN! ravages .comprehensible, however, that such of man's carelessness. .a striking landmark did not have a Like Thoreau-but some 80 years very specific Indian designation but later-my first view of The Traveler .a quest of the records .of early was aver the placid reacbes of "Ma· fravels and maps has d~sclo;>':d noth· tl\ngamooksi.s" Lake. Thoreau had mg beyond Thoreau's mqmnes. (3), jo'urneyed there bY canoe toward C;omment as to what may be the southeast. My route was novel gleaned from the early maps of The and a long journey bY trail. It be Traveler should be a part of this gan at Haymock Lake, a tributary resume. of Eagle Lake on the famous Alla As at Katahdin, with respect to the gash c11noe route. Monument Line Survey, the records Our intended course had been to of the Maine Land Agent contain reach the Penobscot East Branch by much of .interest. The· earlieSt rep tollowing the old Eagle ·Lake 'Tote resentation is ·"A Plan ot the part road. This, from time immemorial, of the State of Maine which was was a lumberman's route to central explored from Mars Hill to the Sebois Maine. Thoreau mentions · tb.e. ,road in 1825 by Geo. W. Coffin and Dan'l as in existence in 1857. With ·the Rose, and from the Sebois to the head suspension of its use in lumber op of the northeast Branch of Penob· erations after 1916, it had become scot River by Daniel Rose in 1829." less conspicuous. Here the mountaill$ north of Katah Except for the existence of blazes din arc marked "Wi.satiquoik Mtns." at de.tours and diverging wood roads, Grand Lake is; '-MeJtiug-·armo Lake:" placed there by· patrolmen of the The Traveler i.s that mo1.1ntain. Trout J.VIaine· Forest Service who knew of Brook is well defined. otir anticipated journey, we might An interim map records a curious have spent much time in seeking variation in nomenclature.. By the out the course of this old road. Maps time when :ffiinry David Thereau of the region for trail travel were journeyed · by canoe through the non-existent. Maine wilderness, "The Travelers" At length Trout Brook Farm was had become "Carbuncle Mtn.'' If the reached. This hostelcy, a lumber record of Colton's Railroad and man's center, a · short distance back Township Map of Maine preserves from the banks of Grand Lake, has any contemporaneous usage, the sim survived three fires. It was then ilarity to the Indian legend of the accessible only b,y the tote-road White Mountains, which Hawthorne :from Patten to Matagamon, the used in his story; "The Great Car sporting camp on the north shore of buncle," suggests a curious trans• the ·lake, and then by boat and tote· position. road. It was a two or three day Reverts to WUderne!HJ journey from the nearest town •to My initial visit to The Traveler oc the east. Since 1944, it is a matter curred at the turn of the era; From -of an automobile road ot only some 1910 to 1914, as told in "The Story of 35 miles. the Wassataquoik" (4) this region Based At The "Crossing" was one of intensive lumbering ac tivity under the direction of Edward Our objective, in 1927, was The l3· Draper. Primeval timber was be• Traveler. Like all good voyageurs mg harvested on the Pogys; a sluice we were at pains to survey the route: dropped logs into Wassataquoik l 'his we accomplished by a short I,ake as did the sl).liceat lJ:'ip. Top on climb to the crest. of Matagamon or Horse Mountain, the cliffs of which rise so abruptly frcm Grand Lake. (3) "The Maine Naturalist," There has been a fire tower on Mata• SeptemberJ. 1.929, V!)l. 9, no. a.._ gamon since 1913. '{!I) "The Maine NatUralist," :r'here on duty, in 1927, was Joe S~ptemper, ~92t, vol. 9, no. 3. Mitchell. father of Chief Fire Warden THE TRAVELER FROM KATAHDIN LAKE-The photo was taken with camera pomting i;lightly west of north with The Traveler in far center and a shoulder of East Turner Mountain et left. Katahdin Lake is in T3 R8 WELS, Penobscot CO\Ulty. It has an area oil.02 sq. m., ~ J.-6 m. Ion~:, a.nd has an elev.atioo of 1,022 a. Jolin Mitchell of Patten. We drew· "From the summit we dropped from Mitchell his knowleag':l of North north and then west into the sag of 'Traveler where he had lumbered, of the virgin spruce. This trllct whose the ilams he had built on nearby superb inaccessibility has so far won lakes and of the mile-long trestle on for it immunity from the logger's Beetle Mountain. Particularly were axE! is. said to contain 6,000,000 board we impressed with Mitchell's de feet.. This is probably an over en scription of the inaccessible huge thusia9tic estimate but I should not_ patch of virgin timber high !n. a argue the question that there are ravine between two enormous spurs 6,000 moose and deer tracks in thit of The Traveler. stand. There was then no lumbering "The east and west ridge, north of activity in the area and the reforesta Dry Brook, comes into a l!llg of the tion following the Pogy fire . had main axis north ot the main peak. ceased. We followed the deserted This ridge ha& as its cuiminating Trout Brook Tote-road west some point the north peak, very nearly as four· miles· to the "Crossing." Here high as the main peak of The Trav South Branch Ponds Brook joins eler. We called this ndge, up which Trout Brook. This is a land all laid we had -come, the Center Ridge.1The waste, only "popple" and birch-the traveling on this North Ridge is in aftermath of all fires. describably bad. It is _simply a mass The1 "Crossing" was our campsite of blown-over fire-killed trees,. a and base ~or the climb of The tarigled pile of jack-straws. For much Traveler. Our intended route was a of the distance we literally walked circle which would skirt the Ponds from tree trunk to tree trunk. and tz:averse the two most prominent "It was dusk when: we raced' down westward-projecting ridges. This over the last cliff on_this ridge and course would lead across the sum once more reacJ-.\:cl the shore of the mit and afford the best impression pond. Thanks to Suck's skill in find ot the region,_ From the "Cro~i,ng." ing his way in the dark, through the we followed t _he. then ooscure tote deceptive poplar and birch second road to the outlet of the Ponds, growth, we reached our tents and skirted the east Shore of the loW'el' food at our camp on the "Crossing", pond and .crossed the flat delta. '9f Mahar's Knowledre a Help Pry (Howe) Brook. Here we noted .We were particularly. irnpre~d the attractive waterfall and basil;l by· the abrupt west end. the-North about a quarter of a mile up from ot the shorE~. Beyond, a sort of trail Traveler· Ridge, by the game ·trails, led to a hunter's lean-to near the and by the numerous logs split· open lower end of southern pond. We by .bears in search of food. Th:S turned,left, however, and commenc trip afforded a circuit of the bulk ed ·to climb what we termed, from of the mountain. We were thus able· its physical location, "Center Ridge". to :form an estimate of the char To the left was the ravine of Dry acter of. the range as far south as Brook. It was a short climb through the peak termed South Traveler. sparse timber to open rocks on Cen Another year we would iraverse The Traveler by its long axis. ter Ridge. As a record of what we From the "Crossing'' we continued! observed, I ::~uote from the 1928 "In up the 'old Trout Brook Tote-road the Maine Wi-ods:" a route to Katahdht later traversed "From the first bare top which we by the measuring wheel and describ-. climbed on this west ridge we saw ed in "Guide to The Appalachian why there are two South Branch Trail in· Maine." Ponds connected by a thoroughfare I have said that our trip coincid instead of only one ponci. Dry Brook ed- with the first reopening of the has pushed its delta almost across region, following the suspension of to the cliffs of Black Cat Mountain, activities after the diSastrous Pogy (5) chocking and dividing into two fire. At the camp, which served ponds what had originally been a the tirewardens on Burnt Mountaiil, long rectangular shaped pond, per Where a fire tower was erected in haps a glacial trough. On the west 1924, began the association with v~t end of the spur by which we ascend eran woodsman and guide Charlie ed we saw examples of the rock Mahar, whose knowledge.of the area creep described on Katahdin by the was to contribute So much to our· well-known Maine geologist, Prof. efforts to make an accurate t:ecord Edward S. C. Smith of Union Col ot these outlying peaks of the Ka lege. tahdinauguoh. Beyond, the route up Hathorn Brook and over the Pogys had ·been reopened that year by an (5) South Bra.tt~m Pond Moun• enterprising Forest Service patrol ~ains. man. FreP. Walker. .N7 if. \'\
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TH»TRAVELERMO'UNTAIN AREA ON 1833 MA.P-,Remark able for its e:;rtr~e accuracy is t~e plan of .townships as sur veyed by· z~ Bradley and Edwin ROse in l 833. The accuracy .of this century-old plan IS such it' seems worthwhile to reproduce the section between Trout Stream, Wassataquoik Stream,. and the East Branch of -the P~nobscot River. Those, who know the r~gion~can identify the principal peaks and spurs. At- the right are Townships 4 to 7 in Range 8, West of 'the Ea~t •L.ine of the State.. They are in Pem~bscot County. ln ·the center range (No .. 9) the large mountain at the east sid· e: .~1"p. 5 is The Traveler. Billfish is in the upper right corne~ or the same townfi!llip and~ north of it, in Tp. 6, is Mattagamon (or Hoi
SPECTACULAR PISCATAOUIS CO. VIEW-Looking south over Upper South Branch Pond in Township 5 Range 9, West of the l!Jast Line of the State, Piscaiaquls County. Tlns 1s one of the outstanding beauty spots of the Maine woods. To the left are spurs of The Traveler, Ce1der. and Pinnade .Ridges, nspee.tively,
SOt1Tll BRANCH POND-Long. renowned for their isolation, these ponds- :a.re now much more accessible. · They he between ThP. 'l'r~We}er and ::>outlt Branch Mountains in the region to th~ : north of Katahflin. The narrow thoroughfare between the two South Branch Ponds has been almost obliterated. oY, the wash from a ravine on The Traveler In the far background are Turner, left, and Katahdin, right. Photo Copyright 1928 by Prof. EdwardS. C. SllJith, Union Coliege, i:3chene'etady, N. Y.
At the right are sPurs of The Traveler. The photograph, copyright by Mward S. C. Smith, is used bv SPECTACULAR PISOATAOUIS CO. VIEW-Looking south over Upper The narrow thoroughfare between the two South Branch Ponds has been South Branch Pond in TD'Wnship 5 :Range 9, West of the Bast Line of the State, almost obllterated bY. the wash from a ravine on The Traveler Piscataqms County. In the fa.r background are Turner, left, and Katahdin, right. Tins 1s one of the outstanding beauty spots of the Maine woods. To the left Photo Copyright 1928 by Prof. Edward S. C. Smith, are spurs of The Traveler, Cen.ter. and Pinnade Ridges, nspee.tively, Union doliege, >:3chene'ctady, N. Y. SOUTH BRANCH POND-Long_ renowned for their isolation, these pond~ At the rig_ht are spurs of The Traveler. The photograph, copyright by ,are now much mQre accessible. · They lle between The 'l'raNeler and l:;;out.lt EdwardS. 0. Smit.h. is used bv • BIBLIOC.ttAP!il( Allard, H. A. , and Leonard, E. ~'-- J THE GRAND LAKE FIRE ROAD 'FROM fATTEN leads past the west shore of Grand Lake Mattagon at the base of the moun tain known as "Matagamon" or ''Hors·e" Mountain. _ According to L. L. Hubbard, famous author of the Maine Woods, it de rived its name from the rather contemptuous ·attitude of the In dians toward it, Photo from the collection of the National Park Serv~e. See Opposite Pa2e --- A, 1920 MAP 01' THE TRAV:ELER REGION-Reflecting the lumbering history of ~rhe Traivel.er area is this excerpt from a map ~urrent in 1920. 'l'herP. will be noted the lumber camp locationr at the 'Campsite" at the head of Upper South Branch Pond, together with a camp on the oanks of Howe's Brook. "The map is reproduced to. afford some future Traveler explorer an opportunity to see ff any tra·ce remains of these: The new State Camp is, of course, close t_o the site of the Robar 1Camp. I endeavored without success to locate the 'joy Tote.-road/" says Capt. Avery. The various excursions narrated in this article resulted in the portrayal of the region in the map in Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Main e. This was checked and further corrected by Baxter t;tate Park supervil'lor Harold J. Dyer. The 1945 Supplement to the Maine Guide reprolduces this as the most accurate large scale map of The Traveler. The Tr-aveler is in the southeast corner of Township 5 Range 9 West of the East Line of the State. This entire township is shown as is the northerly half of Township 4 Range 9. . . =.....'